Through The Water's Surface
by Aleksandryna-Zinnaella
Summary: When fifteen-year-old Aldea Logan comes across Kuroha, she wishes to meet the Mekakushi Dan. Follow her as she is transported into a parallel universe in which it's all real and watch her as she tries to get the Mekakushi Dan to accept her as one of them despite her lack of an ability. Rated T for some language and themes which may be inappropriate for children.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing publicly recognised. No copyright infringement is intended.**

Chapter One

_~Aldea's POV_

I feel someone's arm crash into the back of my head and I dig my elbow sharply back in the direction of the person who did it. I hear a muffled cry and I smirk. The tube door opens and I wait slightly to the side of the door for people to get off, glaring daggers at the ignorant, self-righteous morons who try to push their way onto the tube before people have finished getting off. I barge my way past idiots and climb on. I lean against the pole and hold onto it as JubyPhonic's English KagePro covers blast through my headphones. A girl, maybe two years older than me, gives me an approving smile as she stares at my clothes. Someone appreciates my incognito cosplay, at least. I make eye contact with the girl and she mouths something that vaguely looks like _I'll take a potato chip and eat it_. I smile at her and then look away.

I stare blankly at the opposite door until the tube stops at Piccadilly Circus. I push myself away from the pole and get off the train. I pull my ticket out of my pocket and walk up the stairs. By the time I reach the top, I'm completely worn out. A few people give me odd looks. I'm not unfit, but I'm not used to stairs because I live in a ground floor flat. I pull my water out of my bag and take a few sips, before putting my ticket into the slot on the barrier, retrieving it and walking through. I grin and try to hold back the fangirl squeal bubbling in my throat. I'm almost there! I sprint out of the station, gaining a few weird looks from the poor people who are hit by my long braid that flies out behind me as I pass them.

I throw myself around the corner from the tube station and into the part of the Trocadero building that is home to Tokyo Toys. I bounce over to the shop and step into it, making my way straight to the plushies that line the wall. I scan the rows of fictional hotties until I spot the one I'm looking for: Hatsune Miku. I grab her down from the shelf and continue to look around. I decide to get a Colossal Titan plushie, too. I pick up four boxes of matcha green tea Pocky and a box of milk Happy Panda and take them to the counter. I pull my Death Note wallet out of my pocket and take out hand the employee the £38.70 it comes to.

"Would you like a bag?" she asks, and I shake my head, gesturing to my SNK rucksack. She nods with a smile.

"Thank you!" I say, scooping my stuff up off of the counter and shoving it into my rucksack as I leave the store. I stand out in the street for a few minutes, wondering what I should do next. I still have four hours before I need to meet my dad in Leicester Square. It comes to me, and I click my fingers. I walk back to the tube station and take a deep, steadying breath before going back underground.

I go to the northbound Piccadilly Line platform and wait for seven minutes for a train to come. I board it, glad that it's much emptier than the one from Waterloo was. I get off at the first stop- Leicester Square- and go to the northbound Northern Line platform. I board the first train and again get off at the first stop. This time, it's Tottenham Court Road. I walk up the stairs and leave the station, relief flooding me when I'm above ground again. I trudge along the road until I reach Forbidden Planet. I enter and go straight down to the manga section, checking to see if there's anything new that's worth reading. I give up on that, though, opting to get the next few volumes of Naruto, instead. I've already read the whole thing, sure, but I don't actually have my own copies of all of them yet. I grin when I see that they're on 3 for 2 and decided to get six of them. I have enough money to get six volumes and still get takeaway ramen from Japanese Canteen near UCL. I scan the shelves and let out a loud squeal when I see the manga that I've been wanting to buy for ages. Kagerou Daze! I put back three volumes of Naruto and pick up the first three volumes of Kagerou Daze. I go back up to the checkouts and wait patiently for my turn. Finally, I'm at the front of the queue. I place the manga on the counter and hand over the money when I'm asked. I shove the manga into my rucksack and continue on my way.

An hour or so later, I'm sitting on a bench by the river Thames, eating ramen and inwardly fangirling. I shove noodles and tofu into my mouth, pausing every so often to sip some of the miso base. I sigh happily. The only things that are missing from the paradise I'm in are a handful of particular anime protagonists (and an antagonist or two, for good measure). I stare at the river, imagining the Iwatobi swim team messing about in it. I allow a small smile to make its way onto my face.

My fantasies are suddenly cut short by a familiar figure passing by. My eyes widen and my heart pounds in my chest, though I'm not sure why. The person isn't supermodel material, and as an asexual I don't feel that sort of attraction to people. I frown, trying to figure out who it is and why they're affecting me in this way. The person turns and I gasp, dropping my chopsticks. He makes eye contact with me and I look away, blushing. I let my eyes drift back across to him. His eyes are fixed on me. I know now who it is. I inwardly chastise myself for not recognising him just from his hair. I complain to my friends about what an asswipe he is almost every day. Against my will, my lips form his name, though no sound comes out. _Kuroha_, I mouth into the echoing chatter of passersby. He begins to walk over to me, and my body tenses. _Please just be a cosplayer, please just be a cosplayer, please just be the best Kuroha cosplayer ever_. The single thought echoes through my mind. I know I'm just being stupid. He's a fictional character who doesn't even live in England. Even if he was real, what would he be doing on the Southbank? It must be a cosplayer. It has to be a cosplayer. It _has_ to be.

"Do I know you?" The voice startles me out of my almost trance-like state. His English is strongly accented, and he sounds just like the anime voice actor. My breathing quickens. I glance around. A group of boys in their mid twenties are giving us worried glances as they talk among themselves, and it's obvious that they think he's a predator of some sort.

"N-no. Y-you don't." I say, and he frowns.

"You said my name. You know me. Who are you?" I chew my lip nervously and try to think of what I should tell him. A thought comes to me, and I hope I can act confident enough to pull it off.

"I'm a massive fan of yours. You're truly inspirational. My name's Aldea." I say, planting a fake smile on my face and sticking my hand out for him to shake. A twisted sneer finds its way onto his face.

"Really? You idolise me?" He doesn't sound convinced. I nod.

"Of course! You're amazing!" I bubble, beaming at him. "Could I possibly have a wish granted?" I ask slyly.

"Someone with correct ideas like yours certainly deserves one."

"I want to meet the Mekakushi Dan." I say. Kuroha smirks.

"As you wish, Aldea." My name sounds warped and almost unidentifiable on his lips.

"And I want my Japanese to be better so that I can communicate with them." I say, smiling innocently at him. _And I want to stroke Seto's hair_, I think, but I don't say it out loud. That would be creepy. Kuroha doesn't say anything else, but I suddenly feel as though I've been plunged into ice water. All of the colour has gone from the world, too. Everything is black, white and every shade of grey imaginable. It scares me, and for a moment I think that he's sent me to the Route XX ending. Am I dead? I turn my head and see pylons sticking up, pushing through the surface of the water that surrounds me.

Colour begins to seep back into my vision, and the first thing I feel is fear. Pure terror fills me as I thrash around in what has turned into a murky brown that almost matches the colour of the Thames. I cup my hands and try to pull myself up. I can't breathe, and I'm afraid. I know that I'm underwater. It's not the water that scares me. I love messing about in the local pool. What scares me is the depth combined with the small fact that _I can't swim_. My face breaks the surface and I gasp for breath as I thrash around. The river seems to be running through a city, but it's definitely not London. I tread water and scream for help. It's no use, though. It's night time, and there's no one around. Terror takes over my body and I accept the fact that this is where I die. I won't even enter the haze, because it's October.

I give up and begin to sink back under the water, but a startled yell cuts through the air.

"There's someone in the river!" I begin thrashing again, desperately trying to stay above the surface. I swing my head around, trying to spot who it was that yelled. I finally manage to make out the shapes of a group of people standing by the riverbank. One of them runs towards the water and dives in. I calm down slightly, but I don't stop thrashing. It's the only thing keeping me afloat. The person reaches me, and calmly treads water as she wraps my arms around her neck. Her poker-straight hair fans out around her. Her eyes lock onto mine, and warm recognition floods me.


	2. Chapter 2

~Aldea's POV

I gasp and sit bolt upright, haunted by the odd dream I just had. I can't completely remember it, but it was something to do with KagePro… With a start, I realise that I'm not in my bedroom. Where am I? What happened? Was it… Was it real?

"You're awake!" I squint and turn to the source of the voice. I swear loudly as my eyes land on Seto. He looks somewhere between confused and concerned. "How did you end up in the river?"

"I-I don't-"

He cuts me off, "Wait, I'll go and get the others. Will you be okay on your own for a minute?" I nod. He gets up and leaves the room and I dig my nails hard into my skin, wincing as they pierce the flesh and blood starts to pool in the palm of my hand. I'm definitely not dreaming. Did someone drug me? Was my ramen contaminated with some sort of hallucinogen? I shake my head and look around the room. It doesn't seem familiar, but I can guess that it's either in the home- is it a flat or house? - that the Mekakushi Dan have in the manga or the massive mansion type thing they have in anime. What the hell is going on?

The door swings open and I find myself face to face with almost all of the Mekakushi Dan. The only one missing is Hibiya. He must have gone home now that the summer's over, I think. I make eye contact with Kido, and memories come flooding back. I smile gratefully at her, realising that the dream I just woke up from wasn't actually a dream, but actually happened. I let my eyes trace across all of them (Shintaro actually looks a bit like some old photos of my dad), and I feel instantly annoyed when I make eye contact with Kano and his smirk becomes more prominent. I scowl at him.

"Do you want to tell us your name?" Kido asks. I think hard. Do I tell them my real name, or do I give myself a cool Japanese name? My name contains a letter that doesn't exist in the Japanese language. I decide to be honest with them.

"A-Aldea." I say, my voice cracking slightly. I gasp and feel a blush rising in my cheeks when I realise something- I have three volumes of the Kagerou Daze manga in my rucksack! What if they've gone through my stuff?

"What's this, Aldea-san?" I grimace and don't look up. "Aldea-san?" I look up, horrifically embarrassed, and see Takane holding out my Hatsune Miku plushie. I'm so relieved that it's not my manga that I start laughing.

"What's so funny about a plushie, Aldea-san?" Shintaro asks, giving me a look that clearly says what the hell, you weirdo.

"N-nothing. It's a Hatsune Miku plushie." I say, and Momo smiles brightly.

"I told you, Ene-san!" she says, and I let out a small giggle.

"If these guys will give me a chance, I'll introduce us to you, Aldea-san." Kido says, giving the others exasperated glances. The others all shut up, and Kido introduces everyone to me.

"Nice t-shirt you were wearing yesterday, Aldea-chan." Kano says light-heartedly with a smirk, and I frown as I try to work out what he means. Is he commenting on my L cosplay? Kido punches him in the face and I realise what he was saying. My t-shirt was white, and it got wet. It must have gone see-through. I wasn't wearing a bra. I groan and bury my face in my hands, blushing furiously. Konoha tilts his head to the side and I chew my lip as I remember my meeting with his dark side. Wait, how is he even here is Kuroha is in London? They're the same person.

"Are you okay, Aldea-san?" he asks. I nod, and my embarrassment turns sour and becomes anger and hatred.

"I'm fine, but he won't be when I'm done with him." I say, glaring darkly at Kano.

"Aldea-san, there are two things I would like to know from you," Kido says before Kano has a chance to respond to what I said. "How did you end up in the river last night, and how did you know my name before I told you?" I gasp and cover my mouth. I remember now that I said her name after she got me out of the river. What should I say? I can't let her know that I'm a fangirl, but I need to make it clear that I know something about them so that they will make me stay here. If they think I know about their abilities, they won't let me leave. I force the thought out of my mind by thinking of how I could have ended up in the river. I try to think of something that isn't simple, but also isn't an obvious lie. I was on a tour boat, and I leaned too far over the edge and fell in. No one noticed. Dread fills me at the memory of just being in the river and feeling so helpless, and the lie that forms so easily in my mind only adds to it. I realise with a start that everyone is staring at me, waiting for an answer. The pressure of having everyone's gazes focussed on me makes my hands tremble, and I feel sweat starting to bead on my forehead.

"I don't think Aldea-san wants to talk about it." Seto says softly, and I glance at him to give him a grateful smile. His eyes are red, which surprises me because I know that he doesn't like to use his ability. He blinks quickly a few times and looks away, and, when he looks back, his eyes are normal again. Kido nods.

"I would still like to know how you know me, Aldea-san." she says in a monotone. I think back to the manga and recall what she looked like when she was younger. Maybe I could convince her that I knew her, Kano and Seto from the orphanage? It's unlikely that they'll believe me, but-

"Maybe you knew each other when you were little," Momo says cheerfully, "You might have been childhood friends!" Kano scrunches his face up, as if he's thinking hard.

"You do seem kind of familiar, Aldea-chan." he says, and for once I'm glad that I have a plain face that looks like a lot of other people.

"I-I don't know how I know you, Kido-san," I lie, "I know you from somewhere, but I don't remember where from."

"If Kano recognises you, maybe you were at the orphanage or in our elementary class." Kido says. She doesn't seem completely convinced, but she definitely hasn't realised that she's never seen me before. She's giving me a chance, though, to act like she's caused me to remember.

"It must have been the orphanage. I was really young then, and my memories of it are hazy." I say slowly, trying to look like I'm concentrating on remembering. I suddenly regret quitting Stagecoach. If I still went, or had chosen Drama as one of my GCSE options, I would be able to convince them more easily. As it is, I have more acting experience than most people my age, but I'm still not that great at it. Kido nods, frowning.

"How old are you now?" she asks.

"Almost fifteen." I reply.

"So, fourteen." Kano says.

"Almost fifteen."

"You're not fifteen yet. That means you're fourteen or younger."

"Okay, fine. I'm fourteen. Satisfied?" Seto lets out a light laugh as I glare at Kano.

"You're younger than I thought. Though that might be because when I think of fourteen year olds, I think of Kano and Seto at that age. They were both young for their age." Kido says. I snort. I'm young for my age. Everyone who knows me says so.

"I'm not as mature as you think. I just come across as mature to people who don't know me." I say with a shrug.

"That would be why you had a load of manga and two plushies in your rucksack."

"Is it English that it's been translated into?" Momo asks, and I nod. "You speak English?" I nod again. "Say something in English!" I roll my eyes.

"It's really annoying when people keep questioning me. Give me my manga and leave me alone." I say in English, hoping that none of them know enough English to understand me, and Momo and Marry stare at me, stunned.

"Manga in English is manga?" I laugh at Seto's stupid question and nod.

"How come your manga is in English, Aldea-chan?" Kano asks me. He doesn't hide the fact that he's suspicious of me.

"English is my native language. I still find it difficult to read kanji." I explain.

"That's so cool! When did you move to Japan?" Momo bubbles with a smile.

I pause for a few seconds to think before speaking, "I was born here, but my parents are English and we spoke English at home. I was put temporarily into the orphanage when I was three, and when I moved back in with my parents, we moved back to England. We moved back here a few months ago." I'm surprised by how honest and natural it sounds, though it's probably only me that it seems that way to, because I'm not great at knowing when people are lying.

"What happened that meant you were only there temporarily, Aldea-san?" Kano asks. It's obvious that he doesn't believe me. I can't think of what a valid reason would be, so I shake my head.

"I'd rather not talk about it." I whisper, hoping I can convince them that I just don't want to bring up bad memories.

"Do you want to go and get properly cleaned up? You can borrow some clothes for now." Kido says. I nod.

"Thank you." I say.

"Who wants to lend Aldea-san some clothes? Shintaro-san? You're about her size," Kido says, and Shintaro frowns slightly and opens his mouth, probably to complain. "She's taller than Marry and Momo, and I don't want to force her into something baggy and shapeless like my stuff."

"Baggy's fine. All of my clothes at home are men's clothes and club hoodies. I'm fine as long as my legs are covered." I say. Kido nods.

"I'll get you some clothes. Come on, guys, give Aldea-san some space." she says, turning and leaving the room. Everyone else follows, except for Momo. She races forwards with an eager grin.

"What clubs do you do, Aldea-chan? Can I call you Aldea-chan, or would you prefer -san?" she asks.

"-Chan's fine. Back in England, I cross country running- long distance- and volleyball. I've been doing cross country since I was seven, and I started volleyball when I found out that I was good at in PE at school." I explain. Momo smiles nervously at me.

"I'm guessing you don't know who I am. You're treating me like I'm just any other person." she says unsurely.

I shrug, "Just because you're famous, doesn't mean you're not a person. I treat people based on how they treat me, not based on what they do for a living." When I finish speaking, Momo visibly relaxes. The door opens and Kido comes back in, clothes draped over her arm.

"Kisaragi, I thought I said to give Aldea-san some space." she says, and Momo bows as she apologises. Kido dumps the clothes on the bed. "I hope Kisaragi didn't bother you too much, Aldea-san." I shake my head.

"It's fine." I say. Kido nods.

"We'll leave you to it, Aldea-san." she says, dragging a still apologising Momo out of the room. I smile and begin laughing as I fall back on the bed, then calm myself enough to get dressed into Kido's clothes. I don't even bother trying to resist the urge to smell them before putting them on. I giggle giddily to myself before leaving the bedroom.


End file.
